Tag: Pete Way

56 Year old Michael Schenker has released a new solo CD, Temple of Rock. I had no expectations for this CD when I picked it up. I didn’t read any reviews or see any press about it. I picked it up solo because Schenker is a legendary guitarist who always delivers quality music. Temple of Rock continues that tradition with more killer fret work, and a band featuring some of the biggest veterans in hard rock, Pete Way, Herman Rarebell, and Michael Voss.

Michael Voss is the singer from Mad Max and Cassanova. I am not familiar with the music from those bands, so the voice of Voss is new to me. His voice definitely works well with the insane licks from Michael Schenker.

“Fallen Angel” almost has a hair metal like vibe to it, but Schenker’s riffs give it a heavy enough spin to made it stand out.

“The End of An Era” is a high-speed rocker that rocks on all counts. Michael Voss delivers a great vocal, and Schenker cranks out another great guitar solo!

I love the middle eastern influence in the Schenker’s riffs on “Miss Claustrophobia”. This song is one of the many highlights on Temple of Rock.

Doogie White handles the vocals on the song “Before the Devil Knows Your Dead”. You won’t want to miss this killer cut.

“Lover’s Sinfony” reunites Schenker with former MSG vocalist Robin McAuley. If there was ever a Yin to the Yang that is Michael Schenker, McAuley would be the one. His voice is the perfect match for Schenker’s stellar playing. I would love to see these two reunite for another MSG Album.

“Saturday Night” is the ultimate weekend anthem that get lots of airplay. This song is catchy as hell!

The CD is closed out with an extended version of “How Long” that features a guitar battle with Michael Schenker, Leslie West and Michael Amott. Very cool stuff indeed!

The Temple of Rock is a must own CD for all Michael Schenker fans. You won’t be disappointed! Check it out! You can pick it up at this link.

Rating:

Track Listing:

01. Intro (Speech Performed by William Shatner)
02. How Long
03. Fallen Angel
04. Hanging on
05. The End of An Era
06. Miss Claustrophobia
07. With You
08. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
09. Storming In
10. Scene of Crime
11. Saturday Night
12. Lover’s Sinfony
13. Speed
14. How Long (3 Generations Guitar Battle Version)

Fastway is the band started up by former Motorhead guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clark and ex-UFO bass player Pete Way.

I used to like Fastway fairly well, but it has been a long time since I have given their self titled debut any plays. I thought I would dust the cobwebs off this disc, and see what I think about it in 2008.

There are two must play songs on this disc, Easy Livin’ and Say What you Will. Say What You Will is easily Fastway’s biggest hit. This hard rock anthem was a staple on the radio for many years, and is still favorite of mine.

Digging deeper into this record, and you can easily hear the influence of Led Zeppelin in the music. There are several heavy tunes with that same style of Zeppelinesque groove.

While the music isn’t very original, it is a very good piece of 80’s metal.

Dave King has a very unique voice which is well suited to the music. “Fast” Eddie Clark plays some wicked guitar riffs all over this album. Pete Way’s heavy bass on this record is unmistakable.

Some additional tracks that I like on this disc are Feel Me, Touch Me, Heft!,and Give It All You Got.

This isn’t a perfect album by any means, but still deserves a few spins from time to time. It is a solid disc and is one that I still think is worth having in my collection. You can check out the video for the tune, Say What You Will below!

Rating:Out of 10

Track Listing:
1. Easy Livin’
2. Feel Me, Touch Me (Do Anything You Want)
3. All I Need Is Your Love
4. Another Day
5. Heft!
6. We Become One
7. Give It All You Got
8. Say What You Will
9. You Got Me Runnin’
10. Give It Some Action
11. Far Far From Home